I Will Be Your Rock, You Be My Wings
by CountryStrata
Summary: Rock Lee meets a girl, Riku, with a strange illness and has no friends because of it. He becomes her friend and helps her get better control over her illness. As they become very close to each other Riku begins to doubt herself and what she means to Lee. Lee is determined to stay by her side, but will she let him? Or will other unforeseen circumstances keep them apart...forever?
1. His Name Is Rock Lee

I Will Be Your Rock, You Be My Wings

His Name is Rock Lee

Riku sighed as she sat on her front porch, leaning against one of the poles. She watched as the ninja of the Hidden Leaf village passed by her home. Her home was also a restaurant, the house was above the restaurant. She used to dream of being a ninja, but she was unable due to her poor health. She had an undetermined illness that caused her the sleep a lot throughout the day. Her parents had actually started training her as a ninja when she was a kid, but ever since her parents died her health seem to have gone down. Her uncle never allowed her to do much of anything. Fifteen years old and she still felt like she was five. She felt more and more depressed each passing day.

Riku looked up at the sky. It was a clear sunny day. A light breeze teased her long white hair as her baby blue eyes studied the sky. Judging by the position of the sun…it was about two in the afternoon. Her uncle had been gone most of the day and wouldn't be back for at least two more hours. Riku turned her head and looked at the door leading to the restaurant. Her cousin was running things while her uncle was away. It was fairly busy at the moment. A perfect time for her to slip away. Riku brushed her hair over her shoulder as she stood up and walked away from her home.

Despite living in the Leaf village her whole life, Riku didn't really know her way around the village and ended up getting a bit lost. "Wonderful. If I don't get home before Uncle does he's gonna blow a vein."

Riku sighed. She ended up in the woods somehow. She was about to turn around and try back tracking when muffled sounds of some kind of fight found her ears. She followed the noise. Maybe whoever this was could help her get home. Her eyes widened when she found the source of the sound. It wasn't a fight. It was a ninja training. Riku watched silently, slightly tucked behind a tree. The boy was about five foot six, with large round eyes, bushy eyebrows and sported a strange bowl cut style of black hair and a green jumpsuit underneath a flak jacket. If she remembered correctly, the jacket was of the ranking chūnin.

Riku couldn't take her eyes off this boy. His speed and strength was incredible, so much that she never blinking in several minutes of watching him. When she finally did blink the boy was gone. She stepped out from behind the tree, wondering where he went. "Where did he…?"

"What are you doing here?" Riku jumped at the sound of a voice behind her. She stumbled back against the tree and felt one of her episodes coming on. When her back hit the tree her body collapsed to the ground and froze there in a paralyzed state. As her body remained paralyzed the boy kneeled down to her. The concern he held in her eyes frightened her. She wanted to tell him she was find, but couldn't. "Are you alright?"

He placed a bandaged hand on her should. "Do not worry. I will take you to the hospital."

The boy picked her up and rushed her to the hospital with shocking speed. The village became a dizzy blur to her as she slipped into unconsciousness. When Riku's senses began to return to her she felt something or someone touching her force head. Like they were brushing her bans away from her face. Voices began to enter her ears. "Will she be alright, Lady Tsunade? Is she alright?"

"Yes, Lee. She'll be find. She's coming around now," Riku opened her eyes and looked up at a lady with long blonde hair. "Good to see you awake, Riku."

"H-How do you know my name, Lady Tsunade?" Riku asked.

"I read your file. You have quite the history here," Tsunade smiled as she thumbed through the file she was holding. "Sleeping and falling into a paralyzed state seems to be the norm for you, isn't it?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Riku said as she sat up.

"How do you feel?" Tsunade asked.

"I'm alright. Quite well in fact," Riku smiled at her. She noted the unsure look on the older woman's face. "Really. I'm alright. This happens all the time."

"I see," Riku knew Tsunade was mentally noting all the times she had been in the hospital. "Well, it's good for you that Lee was there when you had an episode."

"That is not true, Lady Tsunade. I seem to have been the cause of this episode," Riku viewed passed Tsunade and saw the boy from before. He was standing stiff with a look on his face like a scolded a puppy. Lee bowed to Riku. "I am sorry, Riku-san. I did not not mean to startle you in anyway. I am truly sorry."

"It's not your fault…um…"

"My name is Rock Lee," Lee said, keeping his bow in place.

"Rock Lee, this wasn't your fault. Yes, you did startle me, but I probably would have had an episode anyway," Riku smiled as Lee finally stood up and looked at her with questions in her eyes. "You see I'm…"

"Riku!" The door flung open revealing a tall, nicely build man with dark brown eyes and hair. Shizune followed in after him with a exasperated look on her face. Riku knew that look was caused by her uncle. He always freaked out when she had an episode. She wished he would stop treating her like she was made of glass. "Riku, how many times have I told you not to wonder off by yourself like that?!"

"I know, Uncle. I was just…"

"You know you are not well! You should not have left! What if something happened to you?! What if some pervert decided to have his way with you during one of your attacks?!" Riku sunk down in the bed as her cheeks flushed red. She could feel Lee's eyes on her as her uncle continued to berate her. Now Lee was going to think she was helpless, just like everyone else she met.

"Mr. Niwa, if you would please calm down," Tsunade broke in. Riku was grateful for it but was too embarrassed to look at anyone. "I would like to have her stay a couple of days here."

"What for?" Niwa asked.

"I would like to observe her," Tsunade replied.

"I doubt it will do any good, but very well," Niwa turned and finally noticed Lee. Riku groaned as Niwa glared at the boy. "And who are you?!"

"Rock Lee, sir!" Lee said as he stood at attention. Everyone in the room watched as Niwa eyed Lee suspiciously.

"Lee actually was the one who brought your niece in, Mr. Niwa," Shizune said before Niwa lunged at Lee.

"I see. Well, thank you, young man," Niwa said but his voice clearly spelled out that he didn't trust Lee. "You _may leave now_."

Riku furrowed her eyebrows at her uncle's back and frowned. A small part of her wanted to speak with Lee, but with her uncle standing right there there was no way that was gonna happen. Niwa began to usher Lee to the door. "Riku needs her rest now. Thank you again for help her."

"Y-Yes sir," Riku watched as Lee was being rushed to the door. She was a bit surprised when Lee flashed her a bright smile over his shoulder before leaving.

"Hm?" Riku blinked. She wondered what that smile meant. She was eventually left alone for the night. Left with her thoughts of the day.


	2. I AM Your Friend!

I Am Your Friend!

"Thank you! Have a nice day!" Ino smiled brightly as her costumer took her flowers and left. Just as the lady left, Lee came in. "Hey, Lee. What are you doing here?"

"I came for some flowers," Lee looked at the flowers like he was totally lost. "I did not know you had this many flowers."

"Yup! What ever you want, we have!" Ino replied. "Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"I am not sure. I do not know what she will like," Lee said while touching a flower.

"A gift for Sakura?" Ino nudged her elbow in Lee's arm.

"No, no. It is not for Sakura," Lee replied.

"Then who?" Ino asked with shock in her voice. "Do you have another girl that is now receiving your undying love and affection?!"

"Not at all. She is just someone I helped out a couple days ago," Lee finally looked up at Ino. "She has been in the hospital a few days and I would like to cheer her up a bit. I get the feeling that she has been a bit down for a while."

"In the hospital? I'm guessing it's no one I know," Ino said.

"I just met her. I do not believe you know her," Lee said.

"Is she alright?"

"I am not really sure. From what I was about to understand the other day at the hospital, no doctor has been able to figure out what her illness is. And her uncle seems to treat her like a child all the time. I just thought some flowers would cheer her up."

"That's very sweet of you, Lee. I think I know just the type of flowers for her," Ino turned and headed to another part of the room with Lee following her.

…..

Riku sighed as she rolled over and started out her window. It's been three days since she was admitted to the hospital and she was about to climb the walls. She sat up, slipped her shoes on her feet and headed for the door. Just as her hand was about to touch the knob, the door slid open. Lee stood there, with a bouquet of carnations in hand an a slight shocked expression on his face. "Rock Lee?"

"Oh, um, hello, Riku-san," Lee said then held out the flowers. "T-These are for you!"

"You…brought me flowers?"

"Y-Yes. I-Is that alright?" Lee looked at her. He was a bit worried that he had done something improper.

"Oh! It's fine! Thank you," Riku took the flowers and walked back over to her bed. She placed the flowers in the vase on her table. "It's just…no one, but my uncle or cousin, has ever brought me flowers. They're very lovely."

"You have never received flowers? I would have assumed your friends would have…"

"I don't have friends."

"You do not have friends?"

"Oh, well," Riku looked at him with a fake smile. "It's fine. With all the fainting no one really…"

"Walk with me!" Lee suddenly broke in.

"Um…"

"You were on your way out, right?"

"Yes. I was going to go on a walk around the hospital grounds."

"Then allow me to accompany you!" Lee smiled brightly at her. Riku slightly nodded. Lee stepped to the side and held out his arm, like a guy would do for a princess. Riku rubbed her hand on her thigh, in a confused manner, before heading for the door. The two walked side by side thought the building. A couple of the workers there and some of the other people would take glances at the couple as they walked by. Riku was listening quietly as Lee chattered on about his teammates and missions. They needed up sitting on a bench outside the hospital.

"You all sound like you've build a strong bond with each other," Riku said. Her eyes dropped down to her hands in her lap and sadness washed over her face. "It must be nice to have that."

"You can have that too," Lee said as he placed his hand over hers.

"Rock Lee, I…"

"You may call me Lee, Riku-san," Riku raised her eyes to meet his. He was smiling brightly at her. The setting sun seem to make his smile even brighter. "We are friends now."

"Friends? Rock Lee, you don't want to…"

"No!" Riku slightly jumped as Lee leaped up, crossed her arms over his chest and tossed his head to the side in a huff. "My friends _must_ call me Lee."

"Alright…Lee," Riku smiled when he looked at her. He returned her smile with a nod and sat back down. Lee began to talk to her again about his friends. He wanted her to meet them, but she was unsure about it. "I'm sorry, Lee. My uncle will not allow me to go out and meet anyone. He's…a bit over protective."

"So I have noticed," Lee nodded remembered to a couple days ago when he met her uncle.

"Thanks for the invite, though. I…"

"So here you are," The two teens looked up to see Tsunade walking put to them. "I was wondering."

"It is my fault, Lady Tsunade," Lee stood up and bowed to her. "I should not have brought her out here."

"It's fine, Lee. It's perfectly safe for her to be out here with you. I know that you would protect her," Tsunade smiled at her ninja and nodded. Riku sighed inwardly. There was that word again…protect. She was so sick of people thinking they had to always protect her. "I was just looking for Riku to tell her that she can go home tomorrow."

"I can?" Riku asked.

"Is it alright for her to return home now?" Lee asked.

"It's fine. All she has is narcolepsy. A condition that causes her to fall asleep during the day and sometimes causes her to become paralyzed for a few minutes," Tsunade explained.

"Can you cure her?" Lee asked.

"I'm afraid not. This is something that she'll have to live with for the rest of her life," Lee looked disappointed. "She's fine, Lee. There are a few things she can do to minimize the episodes. Other than that she's a healthy girl. Slightly under nourished, however."

"G-Gomen," Riku lowered her head a bit in shame.

"It's understandable. Loosing you parents at a young age on top of an illness would put just about anyone in a depressed state," Tsunade nodded to her young charges and left. Leaving Lee and Riku alone. Lee suddenly felt guilty for nonstop talking about his life. He never gave Riku a chance to talk about her own life. He looked at her just as she was slipping off into sleep. He grabbed her shoulders then picked her up in his arms. He smiled at her then took his new friend back to room.

**Notes: Hello! I am lacking in the creative flow so I started writing again to see if I can get a spark back under by back side. I miss all the creative thoughts that use to flowed through my mind. I'm hoping just writing like this will help get me back to where I was. Sorry if I miss grammar mistakes. I'm kinda lacking in the sleeping department as well ^.^' so when I read over something here lately I always miss stuff and sometimes don't even comprehend what I'm reading. Besides that ENJOY!**


	3. Being Watched Part 1

**Thanks for the reviews so far! Glad you like my story! I know I might be going a bit too fast with Lee and Riku's relationship. I'm trying not to. But I don't wanna drag things out and end up not finishing this fanfic. I do really love them as a couple and think Lee is so sweet to her. ^.^**

Being Watched Part 1

Riku pulled out her a pair of clean clothes. She walked around to the other side of the bed and pulled the curtain around the bed. As she tugged off her shirt she thought she heard the door to her room open. She brought her shirt back over her chest and peeked around the curtain. "Hello? Uncle? Lady Tsunade?"

She ran her eyes over the room. When she saw no one she when back to changing her clothes. She was pulling on her pants when she thought she heard the door open again. Riku grabbed one of her shoes and flung the curtain open. She slowly began to walk to the door. "Is someone here?"

She hear someone walking up to her door. She remembered what Tsunade told her and tried to calm herself down by taking deep breaths. She raised her shoe, ready to smack whoever was about to come through her door. The door slid opened, revealing Lee. "Uh…Lee?"

"Hello, Riku," Lee smiled then noticed the shoe in her hand. "May I ask why you are holding your shoe in such a manner?"

"Oh…um," Riku lowered her shoe a second before her body became weak and her knees buckled. Lee rushed forward and grabbed her.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Lee," Riku said as he carried her back to her bed.

"Do I need to get Lady Tsunade?" Lee asked with concern.

"No. I'm alright now. I just thought someone was in my room."

"What do you mean?" Riku took a deep breath to calm herself and told Lee what had happened. A few minutes later Tsunade and Shizune came in. They told them what happened and Tsunade had Shizune check for anyone suspicious in the hospital. Riku just brushed it off as a slight case of hypnagogic hallucination.

"Riku, your uncle will be in here few minutes, but there's something I would like to ask you before he gets here," Tsunade said. "How would you like to start your exercise program with Lee and his team?"

"What?" Riku asked. "What do you mean?"

"Lady Tsunade informed me of this earlier today. She asked me to come by and see you before you went home," Lee gave Riku a toothy grin.

"I appreciate both of you and your concern for me, but my uncle will not allow this. I'll be fine exercising on my…"

"No ma'am," Tsunade said with a bit of force in her voice. "I know that your uncle and cousin are always running the restaurant. They will not always have time to be with you when you do your exercises. It's for your safety, Riku."

"I understand that…but my uncle…"

"I will handle your uncle, Riku," Tsunade said with a nod.

"Good luck with that," Riku mumbled.

"Do not worry, Riku. If anyone can convince your uncle it is Lady Tsunade," Lee smiled at Riku.

"You don't know my uncle," Riku said just before her uncle came in the room. Her uncle immediately glared at Lee. Tsunade asked him to step out in the hall with her. The teens sat their quietly, listening to the muffled noises of the conversation. Suddenly the door whooshed open and an anger Niwa appeared.

"Let's go, Riku," Niwa said as he grabbed her bag and stormed out of the room. Riku slipped off the bed and followed her uncle. She gave Lee one last glance before disappearing out the door.

"I am guessing that he did not take the suggestion so well," Lee said as he stepped out into the hall.

"That man is a stubborn as Naruto," Tsunade grumbled.

"What shall we do now?" Lee asked.

"Well, I have a habit of being stubborn as well. So I am not going to give up on this. Lee, I would like you to make it a point to stop by her house and speak with her uncle. Show him that you are not a threat to his niece."

"Hai! I will!"

…..

Riku sat on her window seat, looking out at the setting sun. Her mind was filled with Lee's insisting words of him wanting her to join him in training and meeting his friends. She had been home for three weeks now and for several of those days Lee has came over to visit, under the extremely close supervision of her uncle and cousin of course. And her uncle and cousin were still being stubborn on not letting her out of the house to train with Lee's team. Part of her wanted to go with Lee, but the stronger part of always being treated like glass still had a strong hold over her. She sighed. "Lee…"

Suddenly Riku felt uncomfortable. It felt like someone was staring at her. She sat up straighter and looked around the village. There were still people out and about. She carefully scanned her view, trying to figure out why she felt like she was being watched.

"Riku," She slightly jumped and turned her head to see her cousin, Daichi, standing in her doorway. He was a smaller version of her uncle. Same exact hair and eyes, same exact over protective attitude about her health. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine," Riku gave one more glance outside her window before fully turning to her cousin. "I was just getting up to take a bath."

"Alright then. I have to run to the store for a minute. Will you be alright in the bath?"

"I have yet to drown in the tub, Daichi," Daichi froze with a petrified look. "Relax, Daichi. You know if I feel at all sleepy I immediately get out of the tub."

"O-Ok then. I'll be back in a few minutes," Daichi rubbed the back of his head and walked away. Riku sighed then grabbed her stuff for her bath. When she stepped out in the hall a small wave of uncertainty washed over her. She scanned the hallway and wondered why she felt so odd. Noises of chattering costumers broke through the floor, bringing her to her senses. She shook her head and headed for the bathroom. All this over protectiveness was getting to her. Once the tub was filled she slipped in the hot water and relaxed.

After letting her concerns wash away from her, she began to wash her hair. She made it a fairly quick bath. She got out and wrapped a towel around her body and one around her hair then stepped out into the hall where, once again, she felt like she was being watched. Riku took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Relax, Riku. You're just imagining things. Everything is fine."

Riku began to walk down the hall to her bed room. She only got a few steps when it sounded like someone was following in her foot steps. She repeatedly told herself that she was fine and no one was behind her. Slowly, she began to feel herself relax, until the small table in the hall slightly scooted. Riku whipped around at the sound. Her body fell into a cataplexy state again. When she hit the floor she saw someone's feet a few feet from her, standing right beside the table. The feet began to step towards her. There was really someone watching her and they were in her house.


	4. Being Watched Part 2

Being Watched Part 2

"You alright, Lee?" Tenten asked. She was sitting with Neji on the ground. They both were watching Lee, who's had a distracted look on his face all day long. He was doing his hand stand push ups and was now just standing there, on his hands, staring at the ground. "You've been lacking your usual youth spirit."

"Sorry. I have been distracted," Lee dropped his body down, swung his legs out in front of him, then crossed them and sat down on the ground, looking at his friends.

"Is this about Riku?" Neji asked.

"It is," Lee nodded as he looked down. "I would really like it if she came to train with us and, of course, to meet everyone. But her uncle is being so stubborn. She agrees with him and she does not wish to meet anyone. However, I believe deep down that she wishes to leave that house for a while."

"She's just scared, Lee," Tenten said. Lee raised his eyes back to her. "From what you've told us about her, she seems to have lived a very sheltered life and when she does meet new people they always treat her like she's carrying the plague."

"But you would not treat her like that," Lee replied.

"Of course we wouldn't, Lee," Tenten said. "We would love to meet…"

"Uh," Lee suddenly threw up his head.

"What is it, Lee?" Neji asked noting a slight touch of fear in his friend's eyes.

"She is in trouble!" Lee shouted as he jumped up and bolted back to the village. Tenten and Neji jumped up and followed their teammate.

…..

Riku watched as this person was almost on top of her. She tired to forced her mind not to think about what this person was planning on doing to her. The sound of Lee's voice calling her name washed a flood of relieve over her. Suddenly the person was gone, just gone. Lee's thundering foot step raced up the stairs, followed by other foot steps. "Riku!"

Lee kneeled down and lifted Riku up just as she regained control of her body. "L-Lee…someone was in here."

"Another hallucination?" Lee asked.

"No! Someone was _in_ here," Riku insisted.

"Hm…Byakugan!" Neji quickly scanned the area and noticed that someone was indeed standing in the hall. He instantly went on the attack.

"N-Neji?" Tenten asked as Neji rushed passed her and did a round house kick to what appeared to be thin air.

"Someone is here!" Neji shouted as he continued his attack on his unseen foe. Tenten stood ready to attack, even though she couldn't see the enemy, while Lee remained holding Riku. They watched as Neji followed whoever down the stairs and outside. Tenten followed Neji, leaving Lee alone with Riku.

"Riku, are you alright? Are you hurt?" Lee asked as he looked her over for visible wounds.

"I'm fine, L…"

"What are you doing to my cousin?!" The two looked up to see Daichi standing there.

"It's alright, Daichi," Riku said as stood up with Lee's help. "Lee was just protecting me."

"There was an intruder," Lee started to explain.

"I see an intruder alright. And you're only wearing a _that_?" Daichi frowned at the young ninja and his cousin wearing nothing but a towel. Riku's cheeks flushed as she clutched her hand on her towel to make sure it didn't fall.

"Daichi, it's not Lee. There was…"

"Well, whoever that was they're gone now," Tenten said as she returned with Neji.

"Huh? You mean there really _was_ someone?!" Daichi asked a bit stunned.

"That is what we have been trying to tell you," Lee said with a nod. "But first let's get Riku dressed."

Lee put his arm around Riku's waist and began to usher her to her room. A hand reached out and grabbed the collar of his flax and tossed him to the other end of the hall. "You're nuts if you think I'm gonna let you go into my cousin's room!"

"Whoa! Nice throw!" Tenten blinked as Daichi remained in his tossing position. Lee sat up and frown.

"What is with this treatment?! I did not wish to harm her! I only wished to make sure she was safe!" Lee protested.

"Sure you did! You pervert!" Daichi screamed.

"Lee maybe many things, but a pervert is not one of them," Neji said calmly.

"Why would you even think of someone like me as a pervert?! I am a man of honor!" Lee replied.

"Lee, think about it. _I'll_ go in with Riku and make sure she's safe," Tenten sighed before turning to a blushing Riku and guiding her into her room. Lee thought for a second before the light came on in his mind and he blushed bight red. Tenten sighed at her dimwitted friend before stepping inside the room and closing the door behind her. "You idiot."

Tenten first checked out the closet then under the bed. Once she gave the all clear, Riku stepped over to her closet and pulled out some clothes. "Did you see who your attacker was?"

"No. I was, um, paralyzed. I couldn't move," Riku's voice was low as she put on a simple gray shirt and matching shorts.

"It's ok, Riku. Lee told us everything about you. He's a bit concerned," Tenten chuckled. "But that's Lee for you. He's aways a bit pushy."

"Uh huh," Riku mumbled.

Tenten sensed Riku was uncomfortable with this so she walked over to the window and peered out of it. "You have a nice view of the village here."

"It's a nice view of the sun setting too," Riku said as she finished getting dressed and grabbed her hair brush. Once done, the girls stepped back out into the hall. The boys were standing around, looking a little bit on the serious side. "Daichi?"

"Riku," Daichi turned to his cousin.

"What's going on?" Riku asked.

"I'm going to talk to my father."

"Ok?"

"About you exercising with Lee and his friends."

"Huh?!" Riku's eyes widened. "Daichi…I don't think that."

"No," Daichi raised his hand to silence her. "You need to get a hold on things. We're not always going to be able to be there to protect you. Tonight proved that. And…And I believe Lee has proven himself. He does not wish to hurt you in any way. I trust him and his team."

Riku blinked in confusion. She turned her eyes from her cousin to Lee. Lee gave her two thumbs but and his typical smile. "Uncle is not going to be happy about this."

"Leave him to me," Daichi nodded. "If anyone can get him to change his mind it's gonna be me!"

"We should go now," Neji said then headed for the stairs.

"We'll see you later, Riku!" Tenten waved as she hurried up to catch up with Neji. "I hope you get to come to our training grounds!"

Daichi followed them, leaving Lee alone with Riku. Riku stood there, a bit confused about this whole thing. She was brought out of her thoughts as Lee wrapped his arms around her. "I am so glad you are not hurt."

She was a bit stunned at Lee's reaction but slowly raised her hands and grabbed onto his flak.


	5. Secrets

Secrets

"Are you ready to go?" Lee asked. Riku bit her bottom lip and cast a look at her uncle. Niwa was standing by the stove, cooking up a storm with a very agitated look on his face.

"Yes," Riku nodded.

"Hey, take it easy, Riku. Start off slow. Don't push yourself," Daichi said as he followed his cousin outside. "If you feel sleepy, stop and lay down."

"I will, Daichi," Riku nodded to her ranting cousin.

"Do not worry, Daichi! I will not allow her to over do it!" Lee declared. "She is safe in the hands of the Handsome Devil of the Leave Village!"

"Right, Lee," Daichi smiled. "See you later then."

The walk through the village was a rather quiet one for the two teens. Lee was just happily walking along as Riku peered nervously over her shoulder. She had been on edge since the intruder was in her house last night. It got her thinking about something, a secret, that her uncle and cousin didn't know about.

"Nervous, are we?" Lee suddenly asked.

"What? Oh, uh, yeah. A little," Riku looked at the boy walking beside her. She took a moment to notice that he didn't seem has hyperactive today as he usually was.

"Do not worry. Everything will be fine. I promise you this," Lee gave her a cute innocent smile as he leaped in front of her. He kneeled down and looked over his should. "Hop on!"

"Huh?"

"Come on! Trust me!" Lee's eyes shined at her. "You do trust me, right?"

Riku never really thought about it, but she did indeed trust him. Entirely. While staring at this goofy teenager before her, Riku wondered when exactly she started to trust him. She stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. When she did this, Lee reached back and slipped his arms around her thighs and stood up. A startled gasp left her lips. "Sorry. I did not mean to startle you."

"It's fine. It's just…," Riku felt her cheek flush. She remembered his embrace last night. "I knew you were strong, but I didn't know you were this strong."

"I do train hard. Hold on, now," Lee warned. "We are going to travel a little faster now."

"O-Ok," Riku wrapped her arms around Lee's neck and held on tight, but not enough to choke him. Riku gasped again when Lee took off. Lee chuckled a bit as Riku tightened her hold on him. He slowed down a bit, but they still made it to the training grounds in only a few minutes. Riku was still holding on tight, with her eyes closed when they arrived. She didn't opened her eyes until she heard Tenten's voice.

"Geez, Lee! You looked like you've scared her half to death and back!" Riku looked at the female friend of Lee. She was shaking her head.

"Sorry," Lee chuckled.

"You can put her down now," Tenten pointed out.

"Of course," Lee said as he bent down to let Riku slid off his back. Riku stumbled a bit and Lee put his arm around her waist to steady her. "Are you alright, Riku?"

"Yes. I'm just a little shocked at how fast you were going," Riku replied honestly.

"You should see him when he really gets moving," Tenten smiled.

"What do you mean?" Riku asked.

"Lee wasn't even moving a fourth of his normal speed," Neji replied.

"What?!" Riku's eyes widened as she looked at the black haired boy. Lee slightly blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah…Well, I…"

"Alrighty!" Everyone turned to Guy when he arrived. "Is my team ready for…uh?"

Guy's usually perky self disappeared when he saw Riku standing with Lee's arm around her waist. Neji immediately noticed something off in Guy's eyes. Lee's voice broke the silence as he pulled Riku over to Guy. "Guy sensei! This is Riku! Riku this is the wonderful Guy sensei!"

"H-Hello," Riku gave Guy a timid smile as she raised her hand to him. "It's nice to meet you. Lee has told me a lot about you."

Guy just stood there, staring at Riku. Riku gave him a confused look and wondered if it was a problem with her being here after all. Lee raised an eye brow at Guy. "Guy sensei? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, um, no! Not at all," Guy came back to his senses and when back to his normal self. "It's just…I was a bit surprised is all! Lee told me you were a very beautiful girl, but his description doesn't do you justice."

Riku blushed, as did Lee. Guy finally took her hand. "It's is very nice to see you again."

"Again?" Riku asked.

"Oh! I mean…Lee has talked to much about you I feel like we've already met before," Guy chuckled nervously.

"Are you alright, Guy sensei? You're acting kind of weird," Tenten said. "And I mean more than usual."

"Of course I am alright! Now, lets get to training!" Guy said as his eyes flared up.

"He is so weird," Tenten mumbled. The group started their training. Neji and Tenten branched off to battle one on one while Lee went to the side with Riku. They discussed her training schedule that Tsunade had discussed with her when she as in the hospital. She started slow with a few sit ups and push ups that Lee joined her in. After about an hour she started to feel sleepy, so she stopped for some water and watched the group go through their regular training routine. Occasionally she would look over at Guy. She wasn't sure, but there was something about him that was nagging at the back of her mind. She brushed if off as him looking so similar to Lee and turned her attention back to Lee.

Lee was engaged in battle. Neji and Tenten were throwing everything they had at him. Riku watched with her interest at it's full peek. These three were beyond good. Riku couldn't help but noticed the different techniques and fighting styles these three had. They were so different from each other, yet they worked so well together.

A wave of sleepiness washed over Riku and she laid down on the ground. Her vision blurred as she fell asleep. When she woke up she found that someone had repositioned her, she was now on her back and under her head was on someone's flak jacket. Riku sat up and looked around. Neji, Tenten and Guy were no where to be seen, but Lee was still there training. He wasn't wearing his flak so it was his that she was using as a pillow.

"You are awake now," Lee said when he noticed her sitting up.

"Sorry. How long was I out?" Riku asked as Lee walked over to her and sat down.

"A couple hours. I guess we kind of over did it a bit with your exercise. I am sorry about that," Lee replied a bit remorsefully.

"Don't be sorry, Lee. This is kind of a trial and error thing. We'll figure it out," Riku said. Lee nodded, but it was clear that he was unsure. "So, where did everyone go?"

"Neji had to go home for a few minutes, Tenten said she was going to go pick us up some lunch and I'm not sure where Guy sensei disappeared too," Lee stretched out his legs and leaned back on his hands.

"Hey…Lee?"

"Hai?"

"C-Can I tell you something?"

"Of course. You can tell me anything," Lee sat quietly waiting for Riku to say something. The started to blow as he waited. He was about to ask her what she wanted when he noticed a strange glow coming from the palm of her hands. "R-Riku?"

As Riku slowly turned her hands over, the wind began to pick up and seemed to be coming from her hands. Lee's eyes widened when Riku showed him the palm of her hands. On both of them were glowing blue swirls. He leaned in closer and reached over to touch one of the swirls. When he did the wind pick up even harder. The wind was coming from her hands. He watched as a couple of leaves began to float around her hands. The leaves were torn apart and shaped into a variety of shapes, a dog, house, shoes, a figure of Lee.

Lee raised his eyes to Riku. "Kekkei genkai?"

Riku didn't look at him, but nodded slowly.

"I do not understand," Lee said.

"My family's bloodline holds a kekkei genkai of wind. There has been very few ninjas in my family history, but we've always had this kekkei genkai. My parents never wielded it, but I do," The glow disappeared as did the wind when Riku closed her hands and placed them in her lap. She took a deep breath and sighed. "My uncle and cousin don't know that I have it. They would totally freak out if they knew I did."

"Have you used it?"

"A little," Riku replied honestly. "Though I haven't used it all that much. You know…with my _condition_. I didn't want to hurt anyone with it. Please don't tell anyone about this."

"It is alright, Riku. Your secret is save with me," Lee put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to his side. "You know you can trust me."

"I know," Riku whispered as she relaxed into Lee's embrace. "I do trust you."

…..

"So, she's all grown up now," Kakashi said as he and Guy stood several yards from Lee and Riku. They were some what hidden by trees and bushes and have been watching the two teens for about half an hour now.

"And she still has the use of her kekkei genkai, even without training," Guy looked down with a bit of a distressed look on his face.

"You're still punishing yourself, aren't you?" Kakashi asked. Guy clenched his fists. "That wasn't your fault, you know?"

"Yes it was. I should have…I should have been faster," Guy raised his fist. He was trembling from past memories.

"Then tell her," Kakashi said.

"I…I can't. I don't want to interfere with her relationship with Lee. I don't want to cause her anymore suffering."

"This isn't something you should keep from her. She'll eventually remember…"

"Maybe…but Lee is precious to me and Riku is precious to Lee. So now she is also precious to me. I will not do anything to hurt them," Guy said as he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked off from his rival. Kakashi watched him go before turning his eyes back to Lee and Riku. Tenten and Neji had returned to the training ground. Tenten was holding a basket of food in her hand as Neji trudged along behind her. Kakashi watched them for a few more minutes before leaving.

**Notes: Well? What do you think of that? Guy knows her. Shocking huh? I didn't even know that until this chapter. ^.^ Hee Hee! Just to be clear, Lee is 17 in this story just like he is in Shippuden. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Keep it up!**


	6. Meeting Everyone

**Sorry. I think this chapter kinda fell flat on its face -.-' I just couldn't come up with a common ground for Riku to talk to the others. The next chapter will be better.**

Meeting Everyone

"I don't know, Lee," Riku turned her head and looked out her window. Lee had arranged for Riku to meet the rest of his friends to night at her restaurant. They were waiting downstairs at this very moment. She had this conversation several times with Lee. She knew that if she asked Lee to drop it he would. But she couldn't dismiss the slight yearning of wanting to meet the rest of his friends.

It's been two weeks since Riku started exercising with Lee and his friends. During this time she finally opened more up to Neji, Tenten and Guy. Though with Guy, she was still wondering why she felt like she knew him from somewhere. Riku watched as people passed each other on the street. "They really want to meet you, Riku!"

Riku just sighed and kept her eyes focused on anyone or anything outside of her room. She was finding it more and more difficult to say no to Lee. He just had this strange hold over her. She felt stronger with him around. Everything about him was just so positive.

Riku felt her heart skip a beat when Lee sat down on her window seat and placed a hand on her cheek. Her stomach was filled with butterflies as he gentle turned her eyes to him. "I promise you will be all right."

"Lee…"

"Riku, let me be your rock," Riku felt herself melting into Lee's pleading eyes. She couldn't quite figure him out just yet. He was one of the strongest person she had ever met, but at the same time he also the gentlest. He was also so determined to help her through any situation that came to her since they first met. Riku wondered why he wanted to be her friend so bad. Was this how friendships were formed? Just meeting someone like she met Lee and things just fall into place?

Riku closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes she reached up and placed a hand on his. She curled her fingers between his hand and her cheek. "Ok, Lee. I'll do it for you."

"Yes!" Lee squeezed her hand and stood up with her. While not letting go of her hand, Lee lead her out of her room. Riku stared at their connected hands and blushed. Lee was chattering happily about his friends as he dragged her along. Neither of them saw a costumer of the restaurant until Lee bumped into him. Lee stumbled backward and bit then bowed to the man he hit. "I am so sorry. Please excuse me. I was not look where I was going."

"It's quite all right," The man laughed and waved his hand. "I really wasn't looking where I was going either."

"Allow me to pay for your meal," Lee said as he stood up. Lee noticed that this guy was as tall as Guy sensei and had a messy cut style of black hair and black eyes. His skin was highly tanned and his hand were rough due to the work he probably did.

"It's not necessary," The man said he smiled at Riku. "Hello, Riku. How are you doing?"

"Hello, Takashi. I'm doing fine, thank you. How are you doing?" Riku asked as she politely bowed to him.

"I'm doing alright. It's good to see you out and about," Takashi looked at teens connected hands and frowned.

"I really am sorry that we ran into you like that. Please, order anything you like and it will be on the house. Daichi, will you please let Takashi have anything he wishes," While Riku set up Takashi with a free meal Lee noticed that Takashi was staring at his and Riku's hands with a displeased look. Lee raised and eye brow at this man and wondered why he held such a look in his eyes. Lee's body tensed up and he tightened his hold on Riku's hand. "I hope your meal is a good one, Takashi. Again, I'm sorry we bumped into you."

"It's alright. Do you kids have plans tonight?" Takashi asked.

"Yes. We are meeting my friends. They are sitting over there," Lee said pointing to he corner of the room where his friends were waiting for them. "We all are _strong ninjas_."

"Huh?" Riku noticed Lee put an stronger tone on strong ninjas and gave him a questionable look.

"I see. Well, Riku, I will not keep you from your friends. Have a nice evening," Takashi bowed to them then walked away to find a seat.

"Who was that guy?" Lee asked.

"Takashi? He's a regular here. Why?" Riku asked with a bit of concern in her voice.

"It is nothing for you to worry about," Lee smiled at her. "I assume I was just over thinking things."

"Over thinking what?"

"He seemed displeased with me."

"Is that all?" Riku smiled. "I guess he is kind of a bit protective of me too. He's been coming here for many years. I think since I was practically a baby. I don't remember him missing a week to come here. He doesn't have a family from what I've heard so he's kind of like a family member. My uncle and he talk often and sometimes Takashi helps out in the restaurant when we're low on staff."

"I see," Lee nodded, satisfied with her answer he returned to his happy self and began to pull her over to his friends. The closer they got to the group of teenage ninjas the more nervous Riku got. Lee tightened his hold on her hand. "Do not be afraid. I am right here with you."

"Right. Thanks, Lee," Riku gave him a light smile and nodded.

"Good evening, everyone," Lee said as they got up to the large round table. Riku watched nervously as the group said their individual hellos. "Everyone, this is Riku. Riku this is Naruto, Sai, Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, Akamaru, Shino, Hinata, and you already know Sakura, Neji and Tenten."

"H-Hello," Riku lightly bowed to them.

"It's good to see you out of the hospital," Sakura smiled as Lee and Riku sat down with them. Sakura was the only other one, beside Neji and Tenten, that she had met already. And, of course, that meeting took place at the hospital. "How are your exercises going?"

"They're fine. I feel a little better since I've started them," Riku replied.

"That's good to hear," Sakura said then leaned over closer and whispered to Riku. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of explaining your condition to everyone. Some of them are kind of rude and don't think before they speak."

"Oh. That's alright. Thanks, Sakura," Riku smiled lightly at her.

Riku pretty much remained quiet for the duration of their visit. She would, of course, answer when someone asked her something, but rarely asked them something. She was fining it a bit difficult to find anything in common with this group of friends. After a while she settled in with the group and quickly picked up on their personalities. She really settled down when Akamaru moved over to her and practically sat on her lap.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you, Riku," Naruto said before he walked off with Sakura and Sai.

"See you later," Sakura waved.

"Thanks for coming," Riku waved back.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Riku," Hinata said. "I hope we get to see you again soon. Maybe you could come watch us train sometime?"

"Maybe so," Riku nodded then bent down to baby talk Akamaru. "I'll see you soon. You're a good boy. Yes you are."

"She's really cute! Better watched out, Lee! Akamaru's gonna steal your girlfriend!" Kiba laughed.

"Uh," Riku stopped petting Akamaru and blushed bright red when Kiba said this. She waited for Lee to say they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, but he just rubbed the back of his head and laughed with a slight touch of pink on his cheeks.

"Let's go, Akamaru!" Akamaru barked in response and took off with Kiba.

Riku took a deep breath and stood up. "Hey…L…"

Before she could ask him about the girlfriend thing Lee pressed his lips to her forehead. After several seconds, Lee put his arms around her. She was pressed snuggly into his chest. She was so thankful that he was still wearing this flak. Her heart was pounding so hard that she knew he would feel it if he wasn't wearing his thick flak jacket. "Thank you, Riku. It means so much to me that you did this tonight."

"Lee, I…," Lee chuckled lightly as Riku went limp in his arms. He picked her up in his arms and watched her sleep. After a few seconds, Lee carried her inside and up to her bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and pulled the cover over her. He reached up and brushed a few bans from her face then leaned over and placed a light kiss on the tip of her nose.

"Sleep well, my princess."


	7. Without Lee, Part 1 Kakashi's Suspicions

Without Lee, Part 1

Kakashi's Suspicions

"There you have it. You have twenty minutes to leave the village," Tsunade said after she got done briefing the team on their mission. A small, ninja-less, village requested help from the Leaf. The village was being under constant attack from some rogue ninjas. This village was pretty far off and it would take them a week to complete this mission. Neji and Tenten immediately left after the briefing, but Lee and Guy stayed behind. Lee just stood there with a slightly worried look on his face as Guy stood off to the side being unusually quiet. "Lee? Is there a problem?"

"No, Lady Tsunade. It is just that…," Lee hesitated to say what was on his mind.

"Don't worry about Riku. She'll be fine."

"Was I that obvious?"

"Afraid so," Tsunade stood up and walked over to her young ninja. "Lee, I understand that you haven't been away from Riku for this amount of time since you two met and that you are worried about her."

"Indeed. I cannot help but worry. I mean, we never did figure out who was inside her house that one day," Lee said looking up at the older lady before him.

"Lee, I really need you to concentrate on this mission. Your taijustu will really be needed for this, so I've assigned Naruto, Sakura and Sai to guard Riku while you're gone. How's that?" Tsunade smiled as her ninja's eyes lit up.

"Yes! That would be wonderful! Thank you, Lady Tsunade!"

"You better get going now," Tsunade patted his shoulder. "I'm sure you'll want to see her before you leave."

"Yes, ma'am!" Lee bowed the dashed out of the office.

Shizune chuckled. "That boy is so in love. I wonder if he's told her yet? Knowing him, he probably blurted it out already. Right, Lady Tsunade?"

Shizune looked at her mistress to see she and Guy were in some kind of stare down. Guy nodded his head at his leader then left the building. "What's going on?"

"Shizune, there's something you need to know about Riku," Tsunade turned to the younger woman. Shizune just stood there, blinking in confusion.

…..

After Lee gathered all stuff he needed for his mission he shoved it in his bag and headed for Riku's. He took short cuts over the roof tops and stopped on one very close to Riku's. Where he was he could see her sitting on her window bench. She had her hair laying over her right should and was brushing it out. Her eyes were closed and as he watched her a smile appeared on her lips. Lee wondered for a few seconds on what she was possibly thinking about before leaping over to her window.

It was raining earlier that day so Lee lightly tapped on her window to get her attention. Her eyes lit up when she saw the young man. She pushed the window open. "Lee, we have a door, ya know?"

"I know," Lee laughed. "But I was on the roof tops anyway."

"Why were you on the roofs?" Riku asked then noticed the straps to his bag. She then looked back to his eyes. His eyebrows were turned up in an 'I'm sorry' fashion. "You're going on a mission?"

"Yes. We will be gone for a week."

"I see," Riku sighed and laid her brush down on the bench.

"If you are feeling up to it, I would like you to accompany me to the front gate," Lee said. Riku nodded and slipped on her sandals. She went to take a step towards the door, but Lee swooped her up into his arms. She blinked at the mischievous look in his eyes. Before she could say anything he leaped out the window and ran along the roof tops.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and wondered if she would ever get use to how easily he moved. With in no time at all, Lee landed them at the front gate, actually he took them outside the village so they were out of view of anyone around. Lee sat her back on the ground but keep his arm around her waist as she clung to his flak to make sure she was stable on her feet. "I don't think I'll ever get use to how fast you can move."

"Then we will just have to spend more time together," His eyes were soft as he reached up and tucked a strain of her hair behind her ear. She blushed as he did this. "Would…you like that?"

Riku was only able to nod as she stared at him. She did want to be with him more, she just wasn't sure why. She really cared about him, but she thought it was just as friends. But do friends make your heart race when they touch you or get close to you?

"You…You're gonna be alright, right? Uh, I mean, on your mission," Riku said, trying to get certain love thoughts out of her head. She knew people with her type of condition always had a harder time with relationships. She couldn't even keep a friend until now. "This is the first time you're gonna have to be away for a while. Since I don't really know what exactly happens on these kind of missions…Sorry. I think I'm babbling now."

"I have a little something for you," Lee said as he reached into one of his flak pockets. Riku watched as he pulled out a strip of the white bandage he wore around his hands and arms. He then lifted up her right hand and wrapped the bandage around her wrist. Riku watched him with slight curiosity. This wrap was one he defiantly have worn before, though it was way shorter than the ones he wore so it was just a piece of one. He lightly smacked her wrist when he was finished and smiled. "There! Now I will be with you even when I am gone."

"Thanks, Lee," Riku went to pull her hand away from his, but he tightened his grip.

"I feel bad for having to leave you like this," Lee said then kissed her fingers.

"It's ok, Lee. I understand why you have to go," Riku said as Lee lowered their hands back down, as he lowered them he laced their fingers together. He stepped closer to her and took her other hand in his. "But it's only a week, right? I'm sure it will go quick. And I'll be waiting for you to return."

"R-Riku? I do not wish to over step my boundaries and put you in a stressful situation, but I would like to…May I…," Riku waited patently as Lee tried to get his question out. She had a guess to what he was going to ask her. She took slow deep breaths to keep herself calm and hoped she didn't pass out. "May I k…"

"Bushy Brow! Riku!" Both gave out a frustrated sigh when Naruto appeared. Lee released Riku's left hand and shifted his position to where he was able to still hold her other hand and keep it hidden from Naruto, as to not put pressure on Riku. "I've been looking for you. I stopped by Riku's house and she wasn't there. I should have know she'd be here with you."

"Yes, Naruto. I wanted to say goodbye before leaving," Lee replied. "Lady Tsunade told me that you, Sakura and Sai will be keeping an eye on Riku while I'm gone. Thank you."

"Not a problem," Naruto put his hands behind his head and gave them a bright grin. Shortly after that they heard the rest of Lee's team walking up to the gate.

"Well, I will see you when I get back," Lee said to Riku. Riku was going to reply to him but he quickly kissed her cheek and took of before she could say anything to him. Riku, in a daze, raised her hand to her cheek and touched it. Her head started to to spin and she dropped to her knees.

"Whoa. Hey, are you alright?" Naruto kneeled down beside her and place his hand on her back. "Do you need to lie down or something?"

"No. I'm fine. Just a little dizzy is all," Riku looked up into his worried face and gave him a light smile. "Will you take me home?"

"Of course," Naruto nodded and helped her stand up. He put his arm around her, allowing her to use him for support, and walked her home. While on the way there, Naruto felt like they were being followed, but when he looked behind him he saw no one suspicious there.

"Something wrong, Naruto?" Riku asked.

"No. It's nothing," Naruto smiled but he looked out of the corner of his eye, when Riku wasn't looking at him, and wondered who was following them.

…..

Meanwhile, standing up on one of the taller buildings of the village, Kakashi was watching the two teenagers move through the village. He too sensed that someone was following the two teenagers. "So that's her, huh?"

Kakashi nodded to the little pug laying on his shoulder. "I don't smell anything. Who ever is following her has masked their scent and is masking it very well."

"I thought so."

"She doesn't remember everything, does she?" Pakkun waited for Kakashi to answer, but he never did. He just kept his eyes on the two teens below them.


	8. Without Lee, Part 2 Invisible Attacker

Without Lee, Part 2

Invisible Attacker

Riku walked quietly along Sai. She found it quite nice to be with someone who wasn't loud and hyper active. He was really different compared to the others. "So, what are we doing today? Training?"

"No. We all have the day off. Naruto mention something about ramen…"

"Typical," Riku chuckled.

"I think Sakura was going to stop at the hospital for a while and Kakashi was going to do some reading."

"And we're doing what?"

"I would like to do some sketching in the fields. If that's alright with you."

"Of course. How long have you been drawing?"

"For many years now. I even use my sketches in jutsus."

"Lee mention that before. Will you show me?" The two stopped walking. Sai looked at her for a minute them pull out a scroll and his ink. She watched patiently as Sai sketched something on the paper then used his jutsu to bring the creation to life. Riku's eyes widened as a black ink chipmunk pealed itself off the page. The chipmunk then jumped over to her shoulder and nuzzled her cheek. "So cute!"

Sai's attention quickly turned back from the way they had walked. He narrowed his eyes, carefully scanning the area, looking for any kind of abnormality. A grey rabbit scurried out from a bush. It stopped and looked at the two teens before running off. "Thanks, Sai. It's…Sai? Is something wrong?"

"No. It's nothing. Just a rabbit," Sai gave her a small smile and the two started walking again. They soon found themselves in the open field. There was several different types of flowers in bloom. Sai found a good spot and they sat down. Riku watched Sai draw for a while then her mind wondered. She laid down on the ground and stared up at the sky. She didn't know how much time had past until Sai broke into her thoughts.

"Is something the matter?"

"No…Why?"

"You just sighed heavily."

"I…I'm just missing Lee. It's been four days since he left," Riku sat up and put her hands behind her, leaning on them. "I never thought that I'd miss him this much. My chest hurts when I think about him."

"You care really deeply for him, don't you?"

"Oh…well," Riku felt heat rising on her cheeks. "I care about him as a friend, of course."

"I think you care about him much more than that."

"How do you know that?"

"You said it yourself."

"What?! When did I do that?!" Riku asked with a bit of defense in her voice.

"You said your chest hurts when you think about him, right?" Riku nodded. "That is a sign that he means more to you than a friend."

"Hm," Riku lowered her eyes to the chipmunk sitting on her leg. As she pondered on what Sai had said she didn't notice him standing up and getting in defense mode until he went flying several feet away from her. "Sai!"

Riku jumped to her feet and tried to run after him, but something grabbed her wrist. She turned back and tried to get free. "What the?! Let go!"

Riku tried to kick her unseen attacker. But, of course, wasn't able to make contact because the enemy was invisible. The attacker gave a jerk on her arm, forcing her to stumble forward. Riku felt like she was moving in slow motion as she feel forward, fear gripping at her very soul and wishing Lee was with her right now.

All of a sudden the grip on her arm disappeared and she was draped over someone's arm. She blinked in a confused daze then looked up to see she was rescue by Naruto. "You alright?"

All Riku could do was nod as Naruto lifted her back up. She followed his gaze and found that two Naruto clones were holding on to her attacker. "Sakura! NOW!"

Naruto's voice cued Sakura to move in and try and hit the enemy. But the enemy was quick and kicked that Naruto clones away, causing Sakura to hit them instead of the attacker. Kakashi and Hinata then appeared out of no where. Kakashi tossed out some smoke bombs as Hinata called on her byakugan. The smoke revealed the outline of the attacker. Kakashi immediately charged at the enemy and exchanged a few punches and kicks. Hinata stayed back and kept an eye on the attacker.

"Sai!" Naruto screamed again. Sai quickly scribbled something on his scroll and called forth a bird creature. He jumped on the bird and flew over to Naruto and Riku. Naruto lifted Riku up to Sai. Sai took her and sat her in front of him. "Take care of her."

Sai nodded then took off into the sky as Naruto joined the battle. "We can't just leave them!"

"Don't worry, Riku. It's part of the plan," Sai said and took her higher.

"Plan?" Riku asked.

"Kakashi set this up. He wanted to try and draw out your attacker. We all made sure that we made it known that only one of us was going to be with you today," Sai explained. "Kakashi was hoping that this person would take this as an easy opportunity to try and attack you again. Everyone was then waiting for the attack to happen."

As the wind began to blow the smoke away from the battle field, Hinata started shouting out where the attacker was moving using the clock method. "Naruto! Nine o'clock! Sakura, two! He's too fast! Kakashi, twelve!"

Hinata gasped. "He's created shadow clones! There's about ten of them!"

"Darn it! Show yourself, you coward!" Naruto hissed.

"It's over," Hinata said when the clones and the real one took off. "I'm sorry. I couldn't keep up."

"Don't worry about it, Hinata. You did wonderfully," Sakura smiled at her shy friend. Hinata stood with her hands collasped in front of her.

"Sakura's right, Hinata. You did just fine. We've gather more information on this person than we had before," Kakashi said.

"Yeah. We now know that this person is defiantly a ninja," Naruto added. "And can use the shadow clones. There's gotta be some way to stop this person."

Kakashi went quiet after that. He shoved his hands in his pocket and glanced at Naruto then up to the sky where Sai and Riku were. Sakura also looked up and waved to them. "Hey! You can come down now!"

"Looks like it's over," Sai said just before Riku passed out on him. He put his arm around her shoulders, pressing her to his chest as he has his bird lower them back to the ground.

"I-Is she alright?" Hinata asked.

"She's fine," Sakura replied as Sai picked Riku up in his arms and banished the bird. She went a head and looked Riku over anyway then turned to Kakashi. "What now, sensei?"

Kakashi glanced at her then summoned Pakkun. The little pug greeted them when he appeared. "Yo."

"I want you all to stay at Riku's tonight. Pakkun, if anything happens come get me immediately," Kakashi ordered.

"What are you gonna do?" Naruto asked.

"I'm gonna go talk to Lady Tsunade about this attack. Maybe we can figure out someway to stop this person for good," Kakashi said then disappeared from them.

"Shall we get going then?" Pakkun asked.

"Yeah! Let's get something to eat! I bet we can get a free meal at Riku's place!" Naruto gave a cheesy grin.

"Naruto! Don't use Riku like that!" Sakura yelled.

"What?" Naruto pouted. "It's what friends do."

"Yeah right! You just wanna be cheep!"

"Hey!" Naruto protested. Hinata giggled at the arguing teammates as Sai quietly walked on and looked down at the girl in his arms. A genuine smile appeared on his lips as he watched her sleep.


	9. Without Lee, Part 3 Slight Confessions

Without Lee, Part 3

Slight Confessions

"Here you go. Thanks for waiting. Enjoy your meal," Riku forced a smile to her costumers as she sat down their food. They thanked her and she walked away. She was doing her best to keep the worry off her face, but it was no use or point in doing so. Everyone knew she was worried about Lee. He and the rest of his teammates were two days over due.

"Are you sure you're up to working?" Sakura asked. "You don't have to."

"We can cover for you," Hinata added. The girls pitched in to help around the restaurant during their stay while the boys took off at various times to do training or other what nots that came up. Pakkun also stay close by to Riku. He was always with her and sniffing out for trouble.

"Lee can handle himself. I'm sure it's nothing more than just simple delay," Pakkun added.

"It's fine. I'm trying to keep busy and not think about them being late," Riku replied honestly.

"Good evening, Riku," The girls turned to greet Takashi.

"Good evening, Takashi. How are you?" Riku asked.

"I'm doing fine. How are you doing? I heard you had another little scare the other day out in the field," Takashi said.

"I'm fine. It was nothing really. Kakashi had everything under control," Riku said.

"I'm glad to hear that," Takashi nodded his head then went and sat down at a table. Riku followed him and took his order. After she gave his order to her cousin Riku went to clear off a table. As she was doing this words from a group of three guys, in their twenties, caught her attention.

"Did you hear what happened to that ninja who can only use taijutsu?" One of them asked.

"What?" The other two eagerly asked.

"I heard he's dying!"

Riku dropped her wet rag. She felt like the wind got kicked out of her and that someone stabbed her heart with a knife.

"No way!"

"Yeah! They apparently hit some serious trouble on their recent mission and he bit off more than he could chew. He's got a huge hole in his stomach and is going to die!"

"Can't say I'm surprised. With only taijutsu I'm surprised he even got this far." The second guy shook his head.

"I actually think he's pretty cool. He never let anyone stop him," The third guy protested.

"Until now," The first one said and laughed.

"Stop…Stop laughing!" Riku screamed, causing everyone to look at her. She wiped around with tears in her eyes and glared at the boys. "It's not true! He's not…He's not…"

"Riku, what is it? What's wrong?" Sakura asked as she, Hinata and Pakkun ran over to her.

"Lee's not dying!" Riku screamed before running out of the restaurant.

"Of course he's not. Riku! Come back!" Sakura called out for her and they followed.

"Uh Riku?" Niwa asked as he stepped out of the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"Sorry. We didn't know they were friends," The third boy quickly explain what happened.

The girls and Pakkun raced after her. Riku was surprising fast. But with the motivation of Lee possibly dying would get anyone moving. Hinata called out for her but it did no good. "Riku! Wait up!"

"Where in the world would those boys get the idea that Lee is dying?" Sakura asked as they ran.

"If he was, then Lady Tsunade would have immediately contacted Riku. Something's not right about this," Pakkun said.

When Riku reached the hospital she didn't even bother to check in with the nurse at the front desk. Her feet just knew where to take her. She ran down the hall and snatched the handle of the door that Lee was behind. She flung it open. Everyone in the room looked at her. Fresh tears streamed down her face when she saw Lee sitting on a chair with his jumpsuit halfway off and hanging around his hips. He was covered in several cuts, had a decent side gash on his left side and a cast on his left wrist, but no life threatening hole in the gut. He stood up. "Riku."

"L-Lee…," More tears spilled down her cheeks as she passed out once again. Lee leaped over to her and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Aw, Riku," Lee whispered as he held her close. "I'm sorry."

Just then Sakura, Hinata and Pakkun ran in. Tsunade turned to them. "What's going on?"

"Sorry, milady. She just took off after…well a rumor was going around that Lee was dying from a hole in the stomach," Sakura explained.

"That's ridiculous," Tenten said.

"Anyone could clearly see that none of us are that beat up," Neji added. "Why would someone start such a rumor?"

"Indeed," Tsunade nodded in thought. "Sakura, who did you hear this from?"

"Riku hear it at the restaurant. A couple boys were talking about it," Sakura replied.

"Shizune, you and Sakura go back to the restaurant and find out who they hear this rumor from. Let's try and find out who started it," Tsunade ordered and they took off.

"It's that a long shot?" Hinata asked.

"It is," Tsunade nodded then cast a glance at Guy. Guy twitched under her gaze and looked down at the floor. "But it's all we have. Hinata you can return home now."

"Hai, Lady Tsunade," Hinata bowed to everyone then left. The remaining people and dog, turned there attention to Lee and Riku.

…..

Riku slowly opened her eyes. Her mind was cloudy and her body was a bit achy. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what happened. When she remembered Lee she snapped her eyes opened and sat up. She looked around the room, barely noticing she was at home. In her own bedroom still wearing her clothes she had on. She then felt someone laying beside her. She looked to her left and found Lee sleeping. His hand was on her right hip so she assumed she must have been laying against him.

She recalled passing out at the hospital after seen Lee and assumed that he must have brought her home. And judging from the pajamas he was wearing he had permission to stay over and stay _close_. She smiled. Niwa must have come to complete trust Lee if he was allowing Lee to stay the night with her, in her bedroom. Of course it probably helped that Pakkun was still there. He was laying at the foot of the bed. Though she wasn't sure if he was asleep or faking being asleep.

Rikue reached over and touched the white cast on Lee's left wrist then remembered the hole in his stomach. She pulled up his night shirt and sighed when she saw no large hole, just a bandage on his left side. She traced her figures on his stomach, just to make sure she was clearly seeing Lee in tact. He was. She sighed again and continued to trace her fingers over his very toned abdomen. "That tickles."

"Sorry…I just thought that…"

"It is I who is sorry. I wanted to come see you immediately, but the others would not allow it. We all were pretty banged up. The enemy was more than we expected," Lee explained. "I am sorry."

Riku smiled and shook her head. "It's ok. I'm just glad you are alright. I was just scared that I might have lost you. I-I care so much about you. I don't…ever wanna loose you."

"You will never loose me, Riku," Lee said as he took her hand and lifted it to his lips, which was a slight awkward with the cast on his wrist he really couldn't hold her hand. He held her fingers more than her hand. He placed a kiss on her fingers then smiled at her. Riku blushed as tears shimmered in her eyes. "Come. Lay back down."

Riku did as he said and retook her position, laying her head on his shoulder and placing her hand on his chest. Lee placed his hand on his chest too so he could lightly rub his finger tips on the back of Riku's hand. "Naruto filled me in on what happened while I was gone. I wish I could have been there to protect you. I am glad you were not hurt."

Riku just nodded and snuggled closer to Lee. She closed her eyes and listened and felt Lee's breathing as he drifted off to sleep.

…..

"You _have_ to tell her," Kakashi stressed to his best friend and rival. "She needs to remember. There might be something she can tell us about what happened back then. We've been lucky so far. Next time we might not be."

Guy tightened his already clenched fists. The two sensei were standing on a near by roof to Riku's house. Kakashi had been taking several tips to Riku's house since Lee left on his mission. Part of this was to make sure Riku was safe, but part of it was to try and find out if her stalker was also making trips to her window. With the person's invisibility technique it was, of course, impossible for Kakashi to determine wether or not the stalker was there. But he felt better making his presence known to the stalker.

"Alright, Kakashi. I will tell her."


	10. Guy's Secret

Guy's Secret

Riku sat with her hands resting in her lap. She raised her eyes and looked around at her friends. Lee was sitting on the couch on Riku's right side, while Pakkun was laying on the couch on her left side. Neji was sitting in a chair with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. Tenten was sitting in another chair, her arms crossed as well and she had a slightly annoyed look on her face. At the beginning of practice, Guy told them he wanted to meet with them at his house after practice for the day was over then he left. They hadn't seen him sense then.

Riku looked back down at her hands. She was shaking and had no idea why she was so nervous. Lee reached over and placed his hands over hers, giving her a comforting squeeze. "It is alright, Riku. There is nothing to be nervous about."

"I'm…not so sure about that," Riku replied.

"What do you…" Tenten was cut off when the door to Guy's place opened up. Guy walked in with a distressed look in his eyes, following behind him was Kakashi and Tsunade. "L-Lady Tsunade? What are you doing here?"

"This is too important for me not to be here," Tsunade replied as she sat down. "Neji, Tenten, Lee…what you three are about to hear shall not leave this room. I will tell the others about this, but in private."

"In private?" Neji asked.

"As you already know, Riku is being stalked by someone," Tsunade said and they nodded. "And the reason is because Riku is the holder of a wind kekkei genkai."

Riku balled her hands up as Tenten and Neji gasped at the new information. They looked at her. Tsunade also looked at her and felt bad for revealing Riku's secret. Tenten was the first to speak up. "Lee, did you know about this?"

"Oh…Well, I…That is…um," Lee stumbled. He promised Riku he wouldn't tell anyone. He glanced at her.

"Don't blame Lee. I asked him not to tell anyone," Riku said quietly. "I didn't want anyone to know about it because…well…"

"You were afraid of being attacked again," Guy suddenly said. Riku's eye shot up at him with fear in her eyes.

"You remember the attack, Riku?" Kakashi asked.

"A little," Riku nodded.

"Attacked?" Lee asked. "What do you mean?"

"That's why I asked you all to come here," Guy clenched his fists at his side. He dropped to his knees. "It…It's my fault your parents are dead! I-I killed them."

A wave of shock filled the room. Kakashi sighed. "Stop it, Guy. You didn't kill them. It wasn't your fault."

"Yes! It was! I should have been faster! I-I could have saved them if I was faster!" Guy shouted.

"W-What are you talking about?" Riku asked. "What do you mean you killed them?"

"Riku," Riku turned her eyes to Tsunade. "First of all, Guy _did not_ kill your parents. Riku, the second you were born it was obvious that you were a powerful little girl. You immediately had your kekkei genkai at your full disposal, despite only being born. Your instincts at controlling it was just amazing. It's beyond words."

"I don't understand. It's just wind control. It's nothing special at all," Riku said.

"It may seem that way to you because you've never use it to it's full potential at an age that you could remember. Riku, your abilities go far beyond making wind. You can create storms, tornadoes, hurricanes. Your power is almost unlimited. You could literally blow villages off the map with just a wave of your hand. It wasn't long before a lot of people came to know about your gift and wanted to claim it as their own. That's when the Third Hokage invited your family to live here in the Leaf Village."

"So, Riku is not a native of the Leaf?" Tenten asked. "And how is it possible for her to have lived here without the other villages thinking we'd use her as a weapon of war?"

"Riku and her parents did not live here in the Leaf in the beginning. They lived in a small village a few hours from here," Tsunade replied then continued. "The Third Hokage invited them to live here and be under the protection of the Leaf ninja. They refused at first. They wanted to stay at their home and raise their daughter there. As for your second question, as Riku began to grow up it became clear that she had some kind of medical condition that would not allow her to be a ninja. It also caused her kekkei genkai to…hibernate, if you will. It was almost as if her kekkei genkai _knew_ she wouldn't be able to control it and reduced itself down to just creating wind. Once word of this spread, no one saw her as a threat and didn't really care where she lived. However, that didn't detour others that were still interested in her abilities. So, when Riku turned four years old a small group of rogue ninjas attacked her home…Guy, Kakashi and Asuma were deployed to save them. Riku was the only survivor."

"So…" Everyone turned their attention to Riku when she spoke up. She was staring down at her lap then raised her eyes to Guy. "That's why you look so familiar. I thought it was because of Lee."

"No. It's because we have met before," Guy said. "You didn't seem to remember me much so I never said anything to you. And I wasn't going to say anything, but with the attacks on you…"

"We thought it would be best to have you remember," Kakashi said. "We were wanting to know if you remember anything else from that day. Something that might help us figure out who's stalking you. All four of the men that attacked you back then are dead. So we are sure that it's none of them. We're thinking it might be a family member of one of them seeking revenge."

"Four?" Riku asked quietly. "That's not right."

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked.

"There were five," Riku replied.

"Five?" Kakashi asked. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. There was…," Riku touched her finger tips to her forehead. "A boy. I think he was about thirteen…maybe fifteen? I'm not sure really. I just remember there were five and one of them was way younger than the rest."

"Is there anything else you remember?" Tsunade asked.

"His eyes. His eyes were so black and hallow. He seemed so lonely," Riku said. "It was like he was looking for something that was unreachable…unattainable. I remember feeling really sad when looking at him."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Riku looked back over at Guy. He was crying. Riku smiled lightly. He was such an emotional man. She could clearly see that this secret he held had ate at his soul for quite some time now. She stood up and walked over to him. She place her hands on his shoulders and pushed him up so he'd look at her. She shook her head.

"It's ok, Guy. It wasn't your fault they died. I don't blame you at all," Riku smiled. "I know you did everything you could and I'm grateful for that. Please, don't feel bad. You're much more pleasant to be around when you're smiling."

"Uh…," Guy looked at her then rubbed the tears out of his eyes. "Alright. Thank you, Riku."

…..

Lee, Riku and Pakkun walked silently through the village. None of them really knew what to say. "Kinda crazy, huh?"

"Indeed. I had no idea that Guy sensei held such a secret," Lee said.

"I kinda wish he had told me sooner. I hate that he was in so much pain because of me," Riku said.

"At least it is now out in the open," Lee said but his voice cracked. Riku looked up at him. He refused to return her gaze. Instead he kept his eyes glued on the ground, his facial features revealing something was weighing heavily on his mind.

"Lee? Are you alright?" Riku asked as she reached for his arm.

"Yes!" He jumped away from her, like static shock hit him. He laughed nervously as Riku looked at him with pure confusion. "Pakkun?! How about you scout ahead?"

"Um…ok," Pakkun was also confused at Lee's actions. But he jumped up onto the rooftops and moved on ahead of them.

"Lee…are you sure you're…" Riku started talking again but was interrupted as Lee whipped around to face her with a bright red blush on his cheek.

"Riku! May I kiss you?!"

"Huh?!" Riku blinked and blushed at his outburst. Two girls were walking by at the time he said this. They giggled and whispered to each other, but continued walking.

"I am so sorry! I did not mean to put you in such a situation," Lee bowed to Riku then turned to walk away from her. He stopped and looked back over his shoulder when Riku grabbed the back of his jumpsuit. She slightly nodded. He turned around when she released him. Stepping closer to her, Lee took a hold of her shoulders. Both were clearly nervous. Lee leaned down and place a tight lipped, lightning kiss on her lips. The two stared at each other for a few seconds before laughing. "I…guess we both were kind of nervous."

"Yeah," Riku nodded. "Maybe some other time?"

"Maybe," Lee smiled and they continued walking. Lee glanced over at Riku and slowly reached for her hand. He lightly touched her skin. She looked at him with a sweet smile. He blushed as he laced their fingers together. The two slowed their walking pace. They wanted to enjoy each others company for as long as they could.

"Well, thanks for walking me home," Riku said once they reached her front door.

"Yeah. I guess I will see you tomorrow then?"

"Of course," Riku nodded. Lee turned to leave. As he did Riku's face turned a bit sad. Suddenly Lee turned back around and he place a sweet, but quick, kiss on Riku's lips.

"I think that one was a little better," Lee said as all Riku could to was nod dumbly. Lee smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders once again. He leaned back down and gave a more bold kiss. He continued place kisses on her lips. With each one he became more confident and bold, but still held back. He was waiting for Riku. He wanted to take it slow and not cause her discomfort or anything that would cause her to pass out on him. He placed one more kiss on her lips, this time Riku reached up and touched his arm with her left hand, she kissed him back. That was what he was waiting for. Lee broke the kiss and smiled at her. She smiled back and put her arms around his neck as he lean back down to kiss her again. He put on hand on the small of her back as he placed his other on the back of her head, gently holding her as close to him as he could. She put her arms around his neck, the fingers of her right hand were lightly brushing the back of his neck. Lee's hold and kiss were gentle and yet comforting. It was a secure embrace that made Riku knew she would always be safe when with him.

Both were light headed when they finally broke away from each others lips. Lee placed his forehead against hers. His voice was low. "Sleep well, Riku."

"You too, Lee," Riku whispered. Lee gave her one more quick kiss before leaving. Riku watched him go before turning to head into the house. She closed the door and pressed her back against it.

"Well, about time."

Riku face flushed bright red at the little pug sitting there on the floor. She had completely forgotten about him.

"What's about time?" Riku blushed even harder when Niwa and Daichi appeared. It was Daichi who spoke.

"Oh…um…n-nothing," Riku stuttered.

"Why are you red? Are you feeling ok?" Niwa asked as he stepped forward and placed his hand on her forehead. "Do you have a fever?"

"I-I'm fine! R-Really, uncle," Riku chuckled nervously as she removed her uncle's hand from her forehead. She quickly stepped around him and went up to her bedroom, with Pakkun right on her heels. The little dog barely made it through the door before Riku slammed it closed. She leaned against it and sighed heavily. "You're gonna get me into trouble!"

"What?" Pakkun looked at her with fake innocence. "They're gonna find out soon anyway. Might as well get it over with."

Riku sighed but smiled.

"Girl, you are so in love," Pakkun said and Riku giggled.

As Riku started to push away from her door to get ready for bed, the sound of a window breaking and shards of glass came flying into her room. The shrieking sound of a male's voice rang out with pure hate. "You will not be allowed to kiss that child! You belong to me!"


	11. Separate, Yet Together

Separate, Yet Together

"Oh crap!" Pakkun darted his eyes around the room. The stalker was there and he has no clue how to tell where he was.

"Pakkun! Run!" Riku screamed. Her hands began to glow and wind gathered in her room. Pakkun wondered what she was doing. Her eyes were focused as she held her hands out in front of her. She was using her wind to feel out where this person was. She could feel him still standing close to the broken window shattered on the floor.

"Wait! You can't..."

"Go get Lee! He's not too far off!"

"I can't!"

"GO!" Pakkun didn't want to go, but he knew there was no way he would be able to stop this stalker. So he quickly jumped out the broken side of the house. Riku's mind was racing as she felt this person begin to walk against her wind and closer to her. She felt sleepiness beginning to wash over her. _Great. What do I do? I can't pass out now._

"Riku! What's going on?" Niwa's voice and thundering feet came running up the stairs and down the hall. The door flung opened revealing Niwa and Daichi.

"No! Ge…" Before Riku could warn them, the stalker has raced over to them and knocked them out. Riku knew she had to do something and was going to try and attack the attacker, but she wasn't able to as she felt a strong hand grabbed her by the throat. Her body was slammed against the wall hard enough to knock the air out of her lungs. She grabbed the person's hand and tried to pry it off her.

"You've been a bad little girl! How dare you kiss him?!" The voice hissed. Her vision began to blur and her hands dropped down to her sides. She knew if she blacked out now it was over. She had no clue what this person was planning to do to her, but she knew it wouldn't be good.

The light around her was going dim then all of a sudden she felt her body dropping to the ground and air refilling her lungs. She came back to her senses just enough to see Lee kneeling in front of her. He was turn a bit to the side, but she could still see the hate in his eyes as he stared off somewhere. Riku's eyes drifted to where he was looking. There was a huge hole in her other wall now and the wall across the hall was damaged as well.

She watched as Lee brought up his arms in front of him. It as to block an attack, but Lee's head when flying back as blood flew from his bottom lip. Riku watched as Lee quickly recovered from the hit and grabbed this stalker's arm, she assumed, and flung him towards the broken window. The stalker's body hit the ground and slid to a stop. Lee leaped up and brought his fist down, but only hid the floor. He lifted up and looked around. "Show yourself, you coward! Stop attacking Riku and face me like a real man!"

"L-Lee," Riku gasped. "He's g-gone."

"How do you…" Lee started to asked, but stop when she brought her hand away from her red neck and flashed her glowing palm. He looked at her eyes and she nodded, signaling him it had to do with her kekkei genkai. He stood up and walked over to her as Niwa and Daichi were waking up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Riku said. She reached up and touched his face, just to the side of his lips. "You're hurt."

"It is alright. Just a bust lip," Lee said as he placed his hand over her's and gave a light squeeze.

"Whoa…What happened?" Daichi asked as he looked around with confusion in his eyes.

"The stalker attacked," Lee said as he helped Riku stand up.

"Uh huh," Daichi said as he eyed Lee still holding on to Riku. A few minutes later Kakashi arrived with Pakkun. Kakashi sighed as he looked at the mess before him.

"I should have guessed this would have happened and taken measures to keep you safe," Kakashi said. "I'm sorry, Riku."

"It's not your fault, Kakashi. No one could have predicted what this person was or is gonna do," Riku replied. "This hasn't happened before."

"True. Was there something you two did that might have ticked this person off?" Kakashi asked.

"Oh…um…," Riku mumbled as she began to figure with her shirt tale as she blushed. Lee scratched the back of his head and looked sheepish. Pakkun had a couple sweat drops appear on his head and he kinda looked off to the side.

"What?" Kakashi asked. "Did something happen?"

"Um…that is…," Lee stuttered.

"Oh boy," Daichi smacked himself then gave his cousin an all knowing smirk. He shook his head and chuckled. "Riku, Riku. I should have know from the look on your face when you came home."

"What?" Niwa asked as Daichi walked over to Lee and Riku. He put his arms around their shoulders.

"Dad, Kakashi, we have love birds!" Daichi laughed.

"W-What?!" Niwa stuttered. Lee froze. Niwa pointed a blaming finger at Lee. "Y-You mean…Y-You two are…"

"Oh…well…that is…" Lee shuttered under Niwa's infuriated glare.

"What's going on?" Kakashi asked Pakkun.

"This coming from a man who reads the kinda novels you do," Pakkun sighed.

"You don't mean that they…" Kakashi blushed lightly.

"Don't be a pervert!" Pakkun yelled.

"Calm down, everyone!" Riku suddenly said. She was still blushing. "We just kissed! That's all! Just kissed! Ok?!"

"Uh huh," Kakashi said as he rubbed the back of his neck and looked around the room. "Well, we can't leave Riku unprotected now."

"But how are we suppose to protect her when we can't see this person?" Daichi asked.

"Neji and Hinata can see this person's chakra with their byakugan. I'll have Tsunade assign them to guard Riku until this problem is solved," Kakashi replied.

"I will be staying too," Lee said.

"Oh no you won't!" Niwa practically stomped his foot like a child. "There's no way you are…she's not going to…I mean…"

"Dad, chill! It's not like Lee and Riku are having sex," Daichi said very bluntly, causing everyone, but himself, to blush beat red.

"O-O-Ok. I'm gonna go get Neji now. Pakkun, say here," Kakashi said as he turned to the broke wall to leave.

"Bring Hinata! I don't want a bunch of boys guarding _my_ little girl!" Niwa ordered. Kakashi just nodded and left.

"I can't handle this anymore," Riku said before passing out on them.

"Riku," Lee caught her.

"Hey!" Niwa protested and took her from Lee.

"I do not mean any harm," Lee replied a bit hurt as Niwa carried Riku out of the room.

"Don't worry about it, Lee," Daichi said as he placed a friendly hand on the ninja's shoulder. "A lot of dads are like that with their little girls."

"But Riku is not his daughter," Lee replied.

"True. But he views her that way since she has grown up here," Daichi explain. "And even thought Riku still calls him 'Uncle', she also views him as a dad. I guess everyone needs a father to look up to at some points in their lives."

"Yes. That is true," Lee nodded, thinking of his relationship with Guy.

"Just give dad sometime. He's always been a bit over protective of Riku. I guess we all have. Having you in her life…in a romantic way…It's going to be quite a change for us all," Daichi said honestly.

"Do not worry, Daichi! I will never push my relationship with Riku! I respect her! And I…"

"Love her?"

"Oh…um…well," Lee blushed again and looked away. "I do think it is still a bit early to say that…I mean I do care very much for her…It is just that…"

"I know. You don't wanna rush things," Lee nodded. "That's a good thing. Too many rush this kind of relationship. They're always in such a hurry. In a hurry to do what? I don't have a clue. I guess people are just afraid they'll end up alone and would rather assume they are in love with a person than actually wait and see if the person they are with at the time is really the right one."

"Hn…Well said, Daichi," Lee smiled. Daichi smiled back at him. "So, what shall we do with the broke window?"

"We have some boards outside. We can place them over the hole for now," Daichi said as he headed towards the door with Lee following. "We'll call in a repairman tomorrow."

…..

Riku stared up at the ceiling. The thoughts of the day wouldn't leave her head. When she woke up earlier she found that Neji and Hinata were now at the house, Lee and Daichi has temporally patched up the hole in her room and Niwa was busy laying out the _house rules_ for the three new teens that were spending the night, even though the _rules_ were mostly directed at Lee.

She sat up in bed and looked at Hinata. The girls and Pakkun were in the guest bedroom, sharing the large bed, as the boys were in Daichi's room. Niwa suggested for Hinata to always be there and tried to pass it off as wanting someone in the room with her at night and to follow her into places boys shouldn't to make sure she was always save, but they all knew that he just didn't want Lee to be spending anymore nights in Riku's room now that they were a couple. Even though it made sense to all of them. It was the right and proper thing to do.

Riku sighed and crawled out of bed. She couldn't sleep. She made her way down to the kitchen and began to look through the snacks they had. She smiled when she came across some chocolate chips cookies her uncle made that day. As she was pouring her a glass of milk she heard someone coming towards the kitchen. "Relax, Riku. It's just me."

"Neji," Riku relaxed. "What are you doing up?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Neji replied.

"I couldn't sleep," Riku replied as she grabbed another glass and poured Neji some milk. She sat their milk on the table then grabbed the cookies. Neji nodded a thanks to her and bit into a cookie. "It was one crazy night."

"Indeed," Neji said then the two went quiet. As they sat there Riku's eyes wondered up to the boy sitting across from her. She sometimes found it so hard to believe that he once didn't like Lee and thought he was a failure. She never would have guessed it seeing how close they are and how well they work as a team.

"Neji…"

"Hey! Where's my cookies and milk?" Lee asked in a bit of a protest. He had his hands on his hips but was smiling. Riku just blinked in slight confusion as Neji stood up.

"Don't take too long," Neji said as he grabbed his milk, another cookie and started to leave the room. In the process of leaving, Neji glanced back at Riku with a smile and a wink. She finally understood. Neji must have heard her leave her room and woke Lee up, telling Lee to give him a few minute before coming downstairs, obviously to make sure her uncle didn't hear her get up and come down to check on her.

Riku smiled and mouthed a silent thanks to Neji before he disappeared from sight. Riku turned her attention back to Lee. He had grabbed a glass of his own and was downing the milk already. She grabbed a cookie and took a bite of it. "Are you alright with this? The sleeping arrangement, I mean. With Neji…"

"Of course. Neji knows how I feel. And I trust both you and Neji whole heartedly," Lee nodded with a bright smile. Riku nodded and went to take a bite of her cookie. As she did Lee stepped forward. Tilting her chin up, he leaned in and took a bite of her cookie, brushing his lips against hers in the process. She was surprised at this move, so much so that she wasn't even aware that she had chewed up her bite of cookie and swallowed it. "You do not have to be brave around me. I know you were scared tonight."

Riku's pinned up emotions came pouring out as she put her arms around his neck and stood up. Lee wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close as her body trembled against his. He soothingly rubbed her back as she cried. "L-Lee…"

"I know. It is alright now. I am here now and nothing will happen to you. I promise."


End file.
